Originally posted by BigE515:
He is a great hitter, I can't argue with that but your stats don't improve at the age of 35 in any sport. No, he's never tested positive but anyone can tell he is/was taking steroids just by looking at him.
There is a big reason why Barry hasn't tested positive for Steroids and won't test positive for Steroids.
Steroids is a Kindergarten term, and only a total idiot would fail a Steroid test today - especially one who has enough money to buy HGH.
There is
no test for Human Growth Hormone (HGH) to detect if it has been injected into a person, and Barry was using HGH not Steroids.
Other than that -
Jeff, I have a little problem with you arguing for Bonds when you post -
Nobody has ever proven that steroids make a player a better hitter. Historically, musclebound players have had more trouble hitting than those who were strong and agile....How do you hit a home run? You hit it with the sweet spot of the bat and a strong swing. Bonds has ALWAYS been strong, but in certain years, he was able to hit better...he hit better/worse because he was getting more/less balls to hit the right part of the bat. But I guess I can't expect a bunch of armchair qurterbacks who have never plaed to understand that....
You contradict yourself - stating Steroids do not make you a better hitter, but that you have a strong swing to hit home runs. Well, stronger muscles allow you to have a stronger swing and Steroid (and more appropriately HGH) use gives you stronger muscles resulting in a stronger swing.
as for the Bonds being better in certain years...and HGH not having an effect on a players ability to hit a Ball...
From 1986 through 1998
Bonds Batting Ave is .290 over 6621 At Bats with 411 Homeruns -averaging 1 HR every 16.11 ABs- with a slugging percentage of .556.
From 1999 through 2006 (when we know he became involved with his personal "trainer")
Bonds Batting ave is .324 over 2367 AB's with 304 HRs - averaging 1 HR every 8.67 AB's) with a SLG of .744
But a stat I find really telling is his rate of SB from first base (assuming all stolen bases are second base - the easiest of the bases to steal) and the number of Ab per stoeln bases. To figure the SB from 1b (which ignores fielders Choices and reaching by error) you take the number of walks plus the number of hits minus the number of extra base hits and divde that by the number of Stolen bases (similar to taking the number of Ab's and Dividing by the number of HR's)
From 86-98 Bonds stole a base once every 5.39 times he reached first base or once every 14.87 AB - that number goes to once every 17.93 if you take plate appearances (BB, SH +SF) into account
From 99-06 Bonds has stolen a base once every 22.48 times on base or once every 43.23 AB. That number jumps to once per 59.64 AB if you take plate appearances into account.
So how does a speedy all around hitter double the amount of homeruns he hits while reducing his Stolen base rate drastically as he ages?
Don't tell me there's something about the mechanics of running and the sweet spot of the cleats he was getting early in his carrer and then couldn't find at the end of his career.
Hell, Rickey Henderson's SB rate per PA went from once per 5.76 PA to once per 11.79 over that same time span in his career not even double...oh, and he hit half as many HR's, not Twice as many as later in his career.
Hell, to think of it, Historically, players tend to have reduced HR rates towards the ends of their careers...not increased rates. It's only been the last 20 years or so when that's happened - you know, that same time period when these athletes were using Steroids and HGH and other performance enhancing drugs.
BTW - Barry Passing Babe in Hr's doesn't mean much. If he was threating to pass Aaron, that would be a different matter. I doubt that will happen now.
Bonds is still just the second highest career Homerun Hitter behind Aaron.
Ruth still has the most Home runs hit in a career by a pitcher.